Strengthen abduction orders to protect children, charity urges

The Children’s Society wants MPs to change the law to allow child abduction warning notices to apply to all children under the age of 18.

The notices are issued to adults suspected of grooming or exploiting children and warn that they could be arrested if they continue to contact a named child.

However, the notices are not currently legally enforceable and can only be used to try to prevent children from being contacted by suspected harmful adults up until their 16th birthday or until they turn 18 if they are in care.

The Children’s Society has warned that the current arrangements leave thousands of vulnerable 16- and 17-year-olds at risk of serious harm and wants the government to strengthen the notices by submitting an amendment to the Serious Crime Bill, which is currently being debated by the House of Commons.

Matthew Reed, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said police must be given powers to protect 16- and 17-year-olds from grooming and exploitation.

“It is shocking that thousands of vulnerable children and teenagers are at risk of abuse, exploitation and neglect simply because of a legal shortcoming,” he said.

“We would welcome a move to strengthen these abduction notices so police can keep vulnerable children safe and we are urgently calling on the government to apply these notices to all children, not just those aged 15 or under.

“It is vital that police are equipped to keep children and teenagers safe, and that this is reflected in the law.”

Rotherham’s Labour MP Sarah Champion has tabled an amendment to the Serious Crime Bill urging the government to make the notices enforceable by putting them on a statutory footing.

Speaking to CYP Now in December, Champion said: “Currently, if a family member or social worker reports that a girl keeps going off with a man, the police will give him an abduction notice but no action is taken.

“Soon, if you breach the notice and take the girl away for a second occasion, it would be something that they could prosecute on.”

The Children's Society plea comes a month after the charity urged MPs to close a legal loophole that leaves 16- to 17-year-olds vulnerable to child cruelty.